Today Donnie and I took our five children, and Michael's girlfriend on our family vacation. Ryan's wife Annie was home sick with a virus, and we missed her, but we were also glad that Ryan still joined us on our family vacation. When I say vacation, it wasn't a vacation in the typical vacation fashion It was one day spent at Six Flags amusement park in Agawam, MA. A longer vacation was not doable this summer, and getting all the kids together is getting harder and harder. So a one day, fun day vacation, was every bit as wonderful as a full weeks vacation.
We began our day, (as we have for many vacation days before) waiting for Michael to wake up and get moving. We all took turns going downstairs to harass him into getting up, so that we could get on the road. And as always, he took his sweet time....but once he's up and going, the party gets started!
Over the years we have always taken our vacations by piling all the kids in the car and driving to a destination....sometimes it was Disney World, sometimes it was destinations that were closer to home. But most all the times, they were car trips that have given us the most enjoyable memories, that Donnie and I cherish.
From the time the kids were very young, these trips consisted of the children singing Broadway musicals the entire trip. Jane and Mary knew every lyric to Les Mis, by the time they were able to speak. Today wasn't any different....Danielle wanted to introduce the family to the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" and we all enjoyed it very much. The interesting thing about this, is that, even though our children were raised on Broadway musicals....they all grew up to have very different musical tastes. Danielle still enjoys Broadway musicals to this day, but Michael is the lead singer in a Funk Rock group. Ryan over the years has enjoyed Rap music and Country music. Mary and Jane are both big Country music fans as well as contemporary pop music.
What made today's one day vacation fun day, so special to me, was that, no matter what music they choose to enjoy...they choose to enjoy the music of each others company. And when they all start singing together in the car, it is music to Donnie and my ears. They are no longer children singing Broadway songs, but adults singing all kinds of music, but at least they are still singing....and they are still singing together. At the end of the evening on our ride home from a great day at the Amusement park...one of the last songs that came on the radio was Lion King's , "The Circle of Life" It seemed a fitting song, (coincidentally it ended up being a Broadway song) But the song itself was very fitting as we were celebrating our last day of the summer together before each of the children move on to continue in their Circle of Life. Danielle will be head back to NYC to continue in her career and to finish the book she is writing. Michael's band "The WonderMics" is taking the music scene on by storm. Ryan and Annie will celebrate their 1 year Wedding Anniversary in October. Mary will be heading into her junior year at Boston College as a nursing major. And our baby girl Jane will be heading to Providence College in two days to begin her Freshman year majoring in business. As for Donnie and me.....life will go on as usual, It's the Circle of Life.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
1,2,3
When I was in High School, and I wanted to write a note to Donnie, and sign it by saying I love you, without my mother finding it and reading it, I would simply sign it, 1,2,3 Kelly. My mother didn't really like that Donnie and I were dating, and so I knew that I secretly had to tell him I loved him, and this 1,2,3 seemed to be the best way.
We would end our phone calls by saying 1,2,3 and whenever we held hands we would squeeze each others hand three times to tell each other I love you.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the 1,2,3 means, and I am sure there are other people out there in the world that do this same thing. For Donnie and me, it has become a special tradition, that we have passed on to our children. When they were little and still to this day we used the words I love you with the kids, but they also always knew the quiet symbol of a 1,2,3 squeeze or tap. We would all go to church and while saying the Lord's Prayer, the seven of us would hold hands and the squeezing would begin. One squeeze, Two squeeze, Three squeeze. It would begin at one end and continue back and forth amongst the seven of us the entire time we would be reciting the Our Father.
Even now, if I am sitting next to one of the kids or alone with Donnie in a car, whenever I feel like quietly telling them I love them, I will squeeze their hand or tap them three times. This tradition has grown. .
Yesterday, Donnie and I went to see our dear friends husband perform in an emotionally riveting, and beautiful, but sad story about love. There are no words to describe how moving this play was. Our friend and her husband are family to us, and we truly love them. But what exemplifiied my love for my friends husband was a 1,2,3 tap on my shoulder. We went to dinner after the show with old friends, and our dear friends, and at one point during the dinner conversation, I was talking about how it is possible to give emotional love and support to our five children, and how people have questioned the possibility of this. As I was saying this, my friends husband leaned behind his wife and gently tapped me on the shoulder three times....I looked at him, my eyes welled up and I asked, "do you know what this means?" he answered yes. At that moment, Johnny ( I say his name now because I emotionally need to) solidified himself in my heart as my true brother and family member. I've known his wife for over 27 years now, and she has always been a sister of my heart and member of my family. They have been married almost two years now, and I love them so much, but yesterday, the bond was sealed for life....his 1,2,3 tap has cemented him in my heart for always. How prophetic for after seeing a play about the power of love, we ended the day with the power of love. 1,2,3 Johnny, and 1,2,3 to your wife. I love you both, you are "Famiglia", my family. I am so happy to know you share our families secret message of 1,2,3.
We would end our phone calls by saying 1,2,3 and whenever we held hands we would squeeze each others hand three times to tell each other I love you.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the 1,2,3 means, and I am sure there are other people out there in the world that do this same thing. For Donnie and me, it has become a special tradition, that we have passed on to our children. When they were little and still to this day we used the words I love you with the kids, but they also always knew the quiet symbol of a 1,2,3 squeeze or tap. We would all go to church and while saying the Lord's Prayer, the seven of us would hold hands and the squeezing would begin. One squeeze, Two squeeze, Three squeeze. It would begin at one end and continue back and forth amongst the seven of us the entire time we would be reciting the Our Father.
Even now, if I am sitting next to one of the kids or alone with Donnie in a car, whenever I feel like quietly telling them I love them, I will squeeze their hand or tap them three times. This tradition has grown. .
Yesterday, Donnie and I went to see our dear friends husband perform in an emotionally riveting, and beautiful, but sad story about love. There are no words to describe how moving this play was. Our friend and her husband are family to us, and we truly love them. But what exemplifiied my love for my friends husband was a 1,2,3 tap on my shoulder. We went to dinner after the show with old friends, and our dear friends, and at one point during the dinner conversation, I was talking about how it is possible to give emotional love and support to our five children, and how people have questioned the possibility of this. As I was saying this, my friends husband leaned behind his wife and gently tapped me on the shoulder three times....I looked at him, my eyes welled up and I asked, "do you know what this means?" he answered yes. At that moment, Johnny ( I say his name now because I emotionally need to) solidified himself in my heart as my true brother and family member. I've known his wife for over 27 years now, and she has always been a sister of my heart and member of my family. They have been married almost two years now, and I love them so much, but yesterday, the bond was sealed for life....his 1,2,3 tap has cemented him in my heart for always. How prophetic for after seeing a play about the power of love, we ended the day with the power of love. 1,2,3 Johnny, and 1,2,3 to your wife. I love you both, you are "Famiglia", my family. I am so happy to know you share our families secret message of 1,2,3.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
When Life hands you Lemons
I always thought that the saying "When Life hands you Lemons....you make Lemonade" was a little cheeky, but as I sit here writing my blog today (which I haven't written in a long while) I can actually feel what the saying means.
As a person who has suffered with depression, a good part of her life, and still battles the affliction. Every morning to get up and face the day is a challenge. But I don't let the depression win. I wake up, I look my depression in the face and say....back off!! because today is MY day and you can't have me! It's not always easy to say this to myself, but I welcome the challenge, and because of this, any Lemons life chooses to throw my way, are definitely going to be turned into the biggest darned pitcher of Lemonade that life has ever seen.
I just finished a 3 1/2 week job for Home Goods, where I had to get up at 6a.m. every morning and work over 10 hour days of back breaking and exhausting work. But I did it!, and I did it with a smile on my face, a positive attitude, and an openness to meet the challenge of this job head on. The end result was...an AMAZING photo shoot, and a sense of pride that I helped make this job go so smoothly. I only mention this, because, the old me, would have turned down this big job, and tried to sleep in late every morning and let the depression win.
I had some disappointing news this past week, as well, and instead of wallowing in despair or succumbing to my battle, I choose to find only the positive in this news, and see it as another challenge to overcome.
One of my dearest Uncles has been in the hospital for over a month now, and is fighting to heal his body....when I visited with him, he had nothing but a big smile on his face and the will to get better. Seeing him and knowing that he is working so hard to get well, reminds me, that we all have challenges to face, and its what we do with those challenges that determines our fate in life.
Whether its an illness of body or of mind, we all have the power within us to take these "Lemons, and make Lemonade" May you all have a pitcher close by, so that you are always ready to squeeze those Lemons that life throws your way, and your cup will always be overflowing.
As a person who has suffered with depression, a good part of her life, and still battles the affliction. Every morning to get up and face the day is a challenge. But I don't let the depression win. I wake up, I look my depression in the face and say....back off!! because today is MY day and you can't have me! It's not always easy to say this to myself, but I welcome the challenge, and because of this, any Lemons life chooses to throw my way, are definitely going to be turned into the biggest darned pitcher of Lemonade that life has ever seen.
I just finished a 3 1/2 week job for Home Goods, where I had to get up at 6a.m. every morning and work over 10 hour days of back breaking and exhausting work. But I did it!, and I did it with a smile on my face, a positive attitude, and an openness to meet the challenge of this job head on. The end result was...an AMAZING photo shoot, and a sense of pride that I helped make this job go so smoothly. I only mention this, because, the old me, would have turned down this big job, and tried to sleep in late every morning and let the depression win.
I had some disappointing news this past week, as well, and instead of wallowing in despair or succumbing to my battle, I choose to find only the positive in this news, and see it as another challenge to overcome.
One of my dearest Uncles has been in the hospital for over a month now, and is fighting to heal his body....when I visited with him, he had nothing but a big smile on his face and the will to get better. Seeing him and knowing that he is working so hard to get well, reminds me, that we all have challenges to face, and its what we do with those challenges that determines our fate in life.
Whether its an illness of body or of mind, we all have the power within us to take these "Lemons, and make Lemonade" May you all have a pitcher close by, so that you are always ready to squeeze those Lemons that life throws your way, and your cup will always be overflowing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)